Bottle cap



P 3, 1940- J. BRAINARD 2,213,200

BOTTLE CAP Filed 001:. 1, 1958 I III LINTON J. BRAINARD. INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE BOTTLE CAP Linton J.Brainard, Detroit, Mich, Application October 1, 1938, Serial No. 232,742

3 Claims.

This invention relates to caps for the sealing of milk bottles, althoughit is applicable to containers other than milk bottles, and has for itsobject to provide a very simple, cheap, readily 5 constructed andeflicient seal of an inherently integral nature, capable of beingreadily transformed by manual manipulation into a spout or pouringstructure which may be readily and easily opened and closed from time totime, and

10 which will be self-locking and sealing when reclosed after opening.

Still further objects and advantages subsidiary to or resulting from theaforesaid objects, or from construction or operation of the invention asit may be carried into effect, will become apparent as the saidinvention is hereinafter further disclosed.

In carrying the said invention into effect, I may provide a milk bottlecap in the form of a 20 pasteboard disc, having the outlines of a flapcut partially through its upper surface, with a depression for thumbnail engagement at one end of said flap, and on the underside of saidcap the developed outlines of a spout also cut par- 7 tially through thepasteboard, all in such manner that the flap may be peeled by the thumbalong a medial plane of the pasteboard to a point appreaching the lip ofthe spout outline. The arrangement is such that further pulling on theflap will draw the outlined spout through the opening provided by thelifting of the flap, the margins of the opening causing the marginalportions of the spout development to fold inwardly during such movement,The said marginal portions are severable on a medial plane from theupper material of the cap, and means are provided for preventing thetotal severance of the flap from the spout development. All of which ismore particularly described and ascertained hereinafter, by way ofexample, having reference to the accompanying drawing, where- Figure 1is a plan of a bottle cap embodying the said invention;

Figure 2 is a plan of underside of the same;

Figure 3 is a cross section of the same taken on a plane indicated bythe line 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on a plane indicated by the line 44 inFigure 1;

Figure 5 is a similar view to Figure 3 showing the flap portion of thecap raised in the first step of opening the spout;

Figure 6 is an end elevation of the cap with 55 the flap portion soraised;

Figure 7 is a similar section to Figures 3 and showing the spoutextended from the cap;

Figure 8 is a cross section taken on a plane indicated by the line 88 inFigure'l;

Figure 9 is a plan of the cap showing the spout 5 in its open position;and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary plan similar to Figure 1 showing a slightlymodified form of the cap.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar 10 parts in the severalfigures of the drawing.

l0 indicates generally a disc of pasteboard or material having similarcharacteristics suitable for the purposes herein explained. While theinvention is described as a bottle cap and the body I0 is therefore inthe form of a disc, it will be understood that there is no reason for solimiting it, as to either its purpose or shape, as the invention'may beobviously utilized in or applied to many forms of packages and fordispensing many materials both dry and liquid.

As to the material of which the present device is preferably made, thecommon pasteboard or cardboard from which milk bottle caps are atpresent made is very satisfactory. The structure r of such pasteboard isof a somewhat stratified or laminated nature, which admits of it beingsplit more or less readily along planes parallel to its upper and lowersurfaces, is excellently adapted for use in the present construction,and it is desired that such material be considered as an example, as toits characteristics which are availed of in this invention, and ininterpreting the term pasteboard or similar material as used herein. r

In actual practice, I have satisfactorily constructed the presentinvention 'fromsuch pasteboard having va thickness of approximately 1/20of an inch, so that heavier or more expensive pasteboard than that atpresent in general use" for milk bottle caps is not necessarily calledfor.

,The upper surface of the disc H1 is shown as having impressed or cuttherein lines ll, l2, I3 and I4 bounding the form of a flap 25, andalso, contiguous to the line I l, a small segment of material is removedto a depth equaling the depth of the impressed lines to form thedepression l5 whereby to admit of thumb nail engagement of the end ofthe flap bounded by the said line I4.

The depth of the impression of the said lines is substantially one-halfthe thickness of the material of the cap, as may be readily seen from anexamination of Figures 3 and 4, and the described outline may be readilycut or impressed into the upper surface of the said material by asuitable die in the manner well known.

The underside of the said cap is similarly provided with an outlineimpression cut therein to a depth also substantially one-half thethickness of the pasteboa-rd or material of the cap, this outline in thepresent example being shown as being of a developed spout formation andrepresented by the lines l6, l1, l8, l9 and 20, and i2 and [3 areextended as at 2| and 22 to meet or closely approach the lines l9 and 20of the spout development as clearly shown in Figure 1. A staple 24 orother similar reinforcement bar or member extends through the materialof the cap and is located within the area of the outline cut on theunderside of the said cap and somewhat adjacent to line N5 of the saidoutline.

The lower portion of the cap bounded by the impressed keystone outlinewill be generally referred to as the spout portion 26.

From an examination of the Figures 5 and 6, it will be seen that byinserting the thumb nail in the provided opening and engaging margin [4of the flap portion 25, the said flap portion may be separated bypeeling from the spout portion, due to the stratified characteristic ofthe pasteboard or similar material, until such separation reaches thereinforcement 24 whereupon it is halted. Thus the flap may be caused toassume the position shown in Figures 5 and 6.

By further pulling on the flap against the resistance offered by thesaid reinforcement, the further end of the flap portion bounded by thelines H, [2, I3 and I6, and indicated by the reference numeral 21, willbe similarly severed from the lower layers of the cap material on theplane 28 as shown in Figure 7, whereupon, continued pulling on the saidflap portion 25 will swing the spout portion 26 on a fulcrum about thelines l9 and 20 through the opening 29 which was provided in the firstplace by the lifting of the said flap portion from the body of the capin the manner described.

As the spout portion is so pulled through the said opening 29, thelateral wings 30 and 3! of the spout portion disengage from the upperlayers of the material of the cap at 32 and 33, respectively, and alsobend on the indicated lines 34 and 35 by reason of the lateralrestriction imposed on these wings by the lateral margins of the saidopening 29 during this movement. This bending of the wings causes themto form the side walls of the spout as is clearly shown in Figures 7, 8and 9, and the restriction imposed by the lateral margin of the saidopening 29 holds the said side walls in the desired position to maintainthe required spout formation when the device is in use.

It will be understood that the lines 34 and 35 may be scored ordepressed in the underside of the cap material to facilitate the bendingof the side walls of the spout, although I have found in actual practicethat such swing or depression may be dispensed with.

When the so-formed spout after use is moved back through the opening 29to its original position, natural resiliency of the material forming thespout causes the Wings 30 and 3! to again spread on the underside of thecap to more or less the original fiat form, although not necessarilycompletely so but to an extent which is effective in rescaling theopening and securing the spout portion in its closed position, pendingfurther operation in the manner described at a future time. Of course,on such further operation, the severing of material 28, 32 and 33 is notrepeated or required for obvious reasons.

When the spout portion is moved outwardly in the manner described, unduestrain on the material at the fulcrum line 19 and 20 is alleviated,where though necessary or desirable, by the provision of the cut orimpressed line 23 which permits movement of the material 34 relative tothe upper layer of the cap thus preventing tearing or undue resistanceof such material at the fulcrum of the spout.

As an example of a way in which the embodiment of the invention may beslightly modified, Figure 10 shows an arrangement in which the separableflap proper is dispensed with, the cut or impressed line I lcorresponding to the line I I of the foregoing figures and having thedepression l5 formed continguous thereto; so that thumb nail engagementwith the portion bounded by the lines ll, [2 and I3 may be effected atthat point. The severing of the upper material of the cap at 28 is thuseffected by directly lifting the material at the depression l5.Otherwise the act of opening the spout remains to all intents andpurposes the same as that already described, the reinforcing member 24preventing the said severing at 28 of the material continuing rearwardlybeyond that point, as will be well understood.

The device described, being constructed of a single piece of materialsimply impressed with outlines partly cut through, calls for noassembling and provides at the outset an integral structure forming aperfect seal for milk bottles and other containers requiring noadditional sealing means, and being free from any tendency toinadvertent opening or to being forced open by the weight of thecontents of the container to which it is applied. No additional weightof material or more expensive material need be used than that which isat present commonly used in the construction of milk bottle caps.

The utilizing of such a cap on a milk bottle facilitates both pouringand sealing and renders it possible for the contents of the container tobe poured over surfaces absolutely untouched by hand. It avoids thenecessity of pouring such contents over the rim of a bottle, as in thepresent practice with milk bottles which are commonly and frequentlyhandled by such rim with constant danger of contamination of thecontents while pouring however careful the original sealing may havebeen effected.

Although in the interests of the most perfect sealing I do not preferit, it is appreciated thatthe separation of the upper and lower parts ofthe spout elements at such areas as 28, 32 and 33 may be effected priorto distribution of the caps to the public, and I wish it to berecognized that the invention as described and claimed hereincontemplates the structure both before and after such separation.

It is also contemplated, although not preferred, that the upper andlower layers of the cap may be originally separately constructed ofseparate This invention may be developed within the scope of thefollowing claims without departing from the essential features of thesaid invention, and it is desired that the specification and drawing beread as being merely illustrative and not in a limiting sense, except asnecessitated by the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. In .a device of the class described, a fiat body of stratifiedmaterial, a spout development having a central portion and lateral wingscut through the lower strata of said body, the upper strata of said bodybeing scored to define an opening contiguous to the central portion ofsaid spout development and to form a lifter therefor whereby said spoutdevelopment may be pulled through the defined opening, the wings of saidspout development being normally integral with the upper layer of saidbody and separable therefrom by the pulling of the center of said spoutdevelopment through said defined opening.

2. In a device of the class described, a flat body of stratifiedmaterial, a spout development cut through the lower strata of said body,a lifter for such spout development out through the upper strata of saidbody, said lifter being severable by peeling from the lower strata toform an opening in the upper strata of said body, wing members on saidspout development extending beyond lateral limits of said lifter, saidwing members being normally integral with the upper strata of said bodyand severable therefrom by the pulling of the spout development throughsaid opening by the aid of said lifter,

and means preventing total severance of said lifter from said spoutdevelopment.

3. In a device of the class described, a flat body of stratifiedmaterial, a spout development having a central portion and lateral wingsout through the lower strata of said body, the upper strata of said bodybeing scored to define an opening contiguous to the central portion ofsaid spout development and to form a lifter therefor whereby said spoutdevelopment may be pulled through the defined opening, the wings of saidspout development being normally integral with the upper layer of saidbody and separable therefrom by the pulling of the center of said spoutdevelopment through said defined opening, said body having a cut in thelower strata somewhat removed from the throat portion of said spoutdevelopment to relieve tension of material at said throat when the spoutdevelopment is operated by said lifter.

LINTON J. BRAJNARD.

